


A Gift To You, From Me

by lacewingss



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Christmas Presents, Fluff, M/M, Pining, developing feelings, i haven't written fanfic in months and i am so rusty what even is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:25:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8758387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewingss/pseuds/lacewingss
Summary: Yamaguchi and Tsukki exchange gifts on the walk to school. That's it. That's all that happens.





	

The mornings were only getting colder.

  
When Yamaguchi stepped outside he thought for a second he would not be able to take a breath, that the chill in the air had frozen his lungs. Tsukki was standing there waiting for him, though, so he sputtered and coughed and took a breath that was somehow warmer than the air around him.

  
They shared a greeting muffled by thick scarves and the last vestige of sleep, neither of them fully awake or ready to face another long day. As they walked, their feet crunching the snow beneath them, they did not say much, preferring instead to let the path to school wake them up.

  
It was the last day of class before the small break for Christmas. There had been talk about volleyball practice on some of the days, but the whole team would not be there. Tsukki was going to visit his brother, and the thought of practicing without him on the court felt wrong. Not seeing him at all for a few days felt wrong, too. Yamaguchi tried to recall the last time he had been apart from Tsukki for so long. He could not remember. Even during school breaks they were frequently together.

  
Before leaving the house Yamaguchi had put his Christmas present for Tsukki in his coat pocket. _If I’m not going to see him over the break, I’ll give it to him after practice_ , he had thought.

  
Yamaguchi blew out his breath and watched as it formed a white cloud in front of his face. It hovered in the air and then disappeared, leaving his view of Tsukki walking ahead of him clear. He was wearing a heavy coat, the trim of which looked thick and warm around his neck. Yamaguchi’s eyes wandered past the coat to the angle of Tsukki’s jaw, following the line of it up until he was focusing on his cheeks, flushed from the cold. He noticed the tips of Tsukki’s ears were red, too, the winter morning biting at any bit of exposed skin it could find.

  
His fingers curled around the carefully wrapped present in his pocket, the twirl of the bow smooth and free of wrinkles despite its cramped hiding spot.

  
He had given Tsukki gifts on Christmas before. This was no new occurrence. Yet somehow this year felt different. His hands refused to pull out from his pockets, ignored his brain’s orders to give his friend the small and soft package they gripped so tightly.

  
What was so different now? He chanced another glance at Tsukki and saw him staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable. This was the same Tsukki as every year before; stoic and certain, a rock on which he could rest. Except that it _wasn’t_ the same Tsukki, not entirely. He was somehow more than he was, shown only in the little things that Yamaguchi never failed to notice. He was someone now who made Yamaguchi’s heart swirl and churn in ways he did not quite understand.

  
But Yamaguchi was not the same person, either. He was stronger, and he could do this small thing of giving Tsukki a present, even if his hands shook and his body felt too hot beneath his coat.

  
With one last breath to steel himself, Yamaguchi pulled his hand from his pocket with a bit too much force. The swing of his arm threw him off balance, and he struggled to keep his feet from slipping on the snow covered sidewalk.

  
His movements must have caught Tsukki’s attention, as he turned towards him in question. Yamaguchi only shook his head, denying that he had almost just fallen. Now Tsukki was looking at him, though, and would soon notice the brightly wrapped package in his hand. Before he had a chance to comment on it, Yamaguchi stepped forward and pressed the gift into Tsukki’s hand.

  
“Tsukki, here,” he said, trying not to think of the way his fingers had brushed against Tsukki’s as he handed off the gift. “Merry Christmas.”

  
If Tsukki was surprised he did not show it. He turned the present over in his hands, looking for the seam in the wrapping paper. He slid his finger along it, breaking the tape and unfolding the paper in a concise and clean manner. Once it had been unwrapped he folded the paper into a neat square and pocketed it.

  
Left in his hand was a knit hat. It was mostly black, with a somewhat misshapen crescent moon on one side, and a white tassel on the top. Seeing it in Tsukki’s hands, Yamaguchi suddenly noticed all the flaws in the stitching, and how it looked more like a bag than a hat.

  
“It’s a hat,” he mumbled.“Your ears always get red by the time we get to the gym. I was going to give it to you after practice but it’s pretty cold this morning and…” Yamaguchi began to babble, unconsciously wringing his hands at his waist. “My mom was making them for some relatives and I asked her to show me how.”   

      
He lowered his head, looking at the snow beneath his feet in an attempt to hide the red that was climbing up his cheeks. _This was a stupid idea,_ he thought. Just because he had enjoyed making something for Tsukki did not mean he would like it, or even want it.

  
 “It’s a bit messy and some of the stitches are, uh, loose, I think. But I made it extra big to fit over your headphones.”

  
“Thanks.”

  
Yamaguchi looked up at the sound of Tsukki’s voice and saw him reaching up and sliding the hat over his hair.

  
“Ah, you don’t have to put it on now if you don’t want,” he said, hastily shaking his head.

  
Tsukki did not stop or take the hat off, but instead shifted it around until it fit over his ears.

  
“My ears are cold,” he said with a shrug.

  
The hat was slightly lopsided, and a gap in the stitching made a small hole near the brim. The tassel was off center, making Tsukki look like he was constantly tilting his head to the left. But he was wearing it. He had not given it a second thought before putting it on.

  
 Yamaguchi broke out into a wide grin, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

  
“It looks good, Tsukki. Really cool!”

  
“I have something for you, too,” Tsukki said, and slung his bag off his shoulder. After rummaging through it for a moment he took out a flat case. A cd was visible inside.

  
“Another mix?” Yamaguchi scanned the list of songs on it, only recognizing one or two. His eyes were looking for words that stood out, song titles that meant something. _Truly, Madly, Deeply; Only You._ Nothing on the list came close. Of course there was nothing like that on there. He bit the inside of his lip and tired to push back thoughts that he was not ready to confront.

  
“This looks awesome,” he said, surprising himself by managing to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “I’m going to listen to it right after practice.”

  
“Hold on, there’s something else,” Tsukki said, still shuffling things around in his bag.

  
“Oh? You didn’t have to-"

  
Out of his bag Tsukki pulled a stuffed crow about the size of his hand. It had dark button eyes and carefully sewn feathers, and when he took it from Tsukki it was incredibly soft and plush to the touch.

  
“Ts-tsukki, this is so cute!”

  
“I saw you looking at it when we were in town last week,” he said, and it was then Yamaguchi remembered seeing this exact plushie while they were running errands together. He had eyed it then, admiring it from its spot on the shelf. It had reminded him of the volleyball team, and all the good memories he had made since joining. He had not known that Tsukki had seen him looking at it. That he had and remembered it, and then gone back to the store without Yamaguchi to get it, was not something he would have ever believed. Just the image of Tsukki in the store, picking it up just from him, put a smile on his face.

  
“Thank you so much! I love it.” He hugged the crow to himself, now warm and flushed due not to the cold morning but the heat that was rising in his chest.

  
“Good,” Tsukki said. “Merry Christmas, Tadashi.”

  
Tsukki smiled down at him, gentle and easy. He felt a sudden tightness in his heart, then a rapid flutter.

  
This was not any other Christmas, or any other year. This was not the same Tsukki and he was not the same Yamaguchi. And next year, well, he would think of that once he could catch his breath again.


End file.
